Holder for pads.



' No. 762,613. PATBNTED JUNE 14, 1904;. 0. F. BIRKENSTAMM.

HOLDER FOR PADS.

- APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 27, 1904. N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented June 14, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

OHRISTOPH FRIEDRICH BIRKENSTAMM, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BYDIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO PAUL KURTZ, BRUNO NITSCHKE, FRITZJAGAU, AND BERNHARD VON REKOWV SKY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

HOLDER FOR PADS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,613, dated June 14,1904.

Application filed January 27,1904. Serial No. 190,783. (No model.)

To all whom, it Ina/y concern.-

Be it known that I, CHRIsToPI-I FRIEDRICH BIRKENSTAMM, a citizen of theEmpire of Grermany, residing in New York, borough of Manhattan, andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHolders for Pads, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved holder for pads of that classwhich are used by waiters in hotels and restaurants for writing out thebills for the guests and the order-checks, said holder being soconstructed as to support two different pads, a bill-pad to be left withthe guest for indicating his orders and the total amount of the same andan order paid for, controlling the waiter and the articles de-, liveredto the guest, the object of the padholder being to enable the proprietorof the,

hotel or restaurant to obtain a simple yet effective control of thewaiters and the articles ordered by them from the difierent departments.

The invention consists of aholder for pads, comprising two sections,each provided at one end with a rectangularly-bent-up portion, the uppertop section being hinged to the edge of the bent-up portion of the loweror bottom section and each' section being further provided in itsbent-up portion with recesses for the inwardly-projecting ends of flatpad-retaining springs for holding the pad on its respective section.

The invention consists, further, of certain additional details ofconstruction, which will be fully described hereinafter and finallypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved holder for pads, showing it in closed position. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of the same, showing it in open position. Fig. 3is avertical longitudinal section on line 3 3, Fig. 1; and Fig. lisa detailsection on line 4 4, Fig. 3, showing the hinge connection between theupper and lower sections when the holder is in open position, drawn on alarger scale.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the lower, and b the upper,section of my improved holder for pads. Both sections a and b arepreferably made of equal size from oblong pieces of sheet metal,pasteboard, wood, or other suitable material and preferably covered witha layer of leather, paper, enamel, varnish, or similar material, so asto impart an attractive appearance to the holder. Each section a and bis provided at one end with rectangularly-bent-up portions (4 and 6,respectively, said bent-up portions being provided with recesses a 6through which the bent ends (1 e of flat steel springs (Z c, the shanks.of

which are attached to the sections a and 6, re-

speetively, are extended so as to retain padsf 6 5 and f on the upperand lower sections of the holder, respectively,as shown in Fig. 2. -Thepad j, which is placed on the lower section (a of the holder, isretained at its end by the ends of the springs (Z and is made shorterthan the pad f, that is retained on the upper section b, so

as to differentiate the pads from each other and provide the requiredspace for the inwardly-extending springs e. The individual sheets of thepad f are printed in suitable manner so as to serve as order-checks forthe waiters and covered by a" carbon copyingsheet f ,while the pad f ismade, preferably, as large as the upper section b of the holder andintended to be used as a guests billpad. The end of the upper section bopposite to its bent-up portion 6 is hinged to the edge of the bent-upportion a of the section a, as shown clearly'in Fig. 2, so that theupper section can be placed in position over-the lower section, with itsbent-up por tion resting on the front end of the lower section, as shownin Fig. 1, or swung at an angle of one hundred and eighty degrees inbackward direction, so as to rest by its rear end on a table or othersupport. VVhen'the sections of the holder, with the pads in the same,are placed in closed position, the holder can be readily carried in thepocket of the waiter,

while when the same is in open position for use it is placed on a tableor other suitable support, so as to permit the waiter to remove theuppermost sheet of the pad f, place it on the carbon-sheet of thewaiters order-pad, with the name and price of the dish ordered thereon,and then remove the order-check to be handed into the kitchen, bar, orother place. The guests bill-check is then placed on the guests table,so that he can fully control the different articles ordered by anddelivered to him. The guests pad is firmly held on the upper section ofthe holder between the raised hinge connection with the lower section 6and the rectangularly-bent-up portion 7), as shown clearly in Fig. 2 andin cross-section in Fig. 4, so that it permits the ready removal of onecheck or slip after the other from the pad. The carbon-sheet a ispermanently attached to the rear end of the pad (1/ on the bottomsection, so as to be always in proper position for placing the guestscheck thereon, so that the order is copied on the waiters check below.The guest-check is then returned to the guests table and the amountfinally due obtained by adding up the sums thereon. The differentdepartments to which the order-slips are delivered have a full controlof the articles ordered by and delivered to the guest, while the guesthimself controls all along the articles which he has obtained and theamount of the charges for the same.

The individual sheets of the waiters checkpad and guests bill-pad may beprinted in accordance with the control system for which they are used,the improved pad-holder serving for the purpose of holding the pads in amanner so as to be conveniently used by the Waiter in writing the orderson the guests bill-check and duplicating them on the waiters cheek belowthe carbon copying-sheet.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A holder for pads, consisting of two sectionshinged together, both sections being provided with arectangularly-bent-up portion l at one end, the upper section beinghinged to the bent-up portion of the lower section, and pad-retainingsprings the bent ends of which are attached to the upper and lowersections respectively and provided with bent ends eX- tending throughrecesses in the bent-up portions of the upper and lower sections .forretaining a pad in position on-each section, substantially as set forth.

2. A holder for pads, consisting of a lower section provided with arectangularly-bent-up portion at its end, an upper section hinged at oneend to the bent-up portion of the lower section and provided with arectangularlybent-up portion at its opposite end, flat springs attachedto the lower and upper sections respectively and extending with theirfree bent ends through recesses in the bent-up portions of the lower andupper sections, and pads retained by said springs on the lower and uppersections respectively, substantially as set forth.

3. A holder for pads, consisting of a lower section provided with arectangularly-bentaip portion at its end, an upper section hinged at oneend to the bent-up portion of the lower section and provided with asimilar rectangularly-bent-up portion at its opposite end, fiat springsattached to the lower and upper sections respectively and extended bytheir free bent ends through recesses in the bent-up portions of thelower and upper sections, and pads supported by said springs on theupper and lower sections respectively, the pad supported on the lowersection being shorter than the pad supported on the upper section, thelatter being retained between its bent-up end and the raised hingeconnection of. the lower section, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHRISTOPII FRIEDRICH BIRKENSTAMM.

Witnesses:

PAUL GroErEL, HENRY J. SUHRBIER.

